Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
Druid Wen
NAME: Druid Wen
PARENTS: Andy and Debra Wen
SIBLINGS: A bunch. My family is complicated.
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: AP Physics
FAVORITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITY: Martial Arts
FAVORITE FOOD: Steak
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: Eminem
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Dark Knight Rises
FAVORITE TV SHOW: I don’t watch TV.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? Fire.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? Attending UCA.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO’S HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? HOW? My coaches. Most of them have known me for several years. They’ve helped me grow up, giving me invaluable guidance and really treating me like their own son. I couldn’t be more thankful for all they’ve done for me over the years.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TRACK? Simplicity. There are no tricks or randomness. The winner is just the better athlete.
EVENTS? I do usually run the 4×800 relay and the mile. The mile’s my favorite.
WHAT APPROACH DO YOU TAKE TO YOUR EVENTS? In the 4×800, I just try to get our team in the best position possible. In the mile, I try to go fast but stay relaxed early and beat everyone I can in the last two laps.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SEASON SO FAR? We have an amazing team this year. Our performances so far have shown that on a good day we can step up and compete with anyone in the state.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT TO THE SEASON SO FAR? Our home meet; we had a lot of good performances and we ended up winning by more than 50 points. It was just a great meet all around.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT CONFERENCE AND STATE? Nothing special. We just need to stay in shape, stay healthy, avoid any more injuries, and then go do what we do. If we can do that then we can win Conference. And once we’ve done that we can talk about a State Championship.
TALK ABOUT YOUR EVENT NOW; WHAT DO THINK IS YOUR BIGGEST ASSET? WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITY TO DO? With distance running, and particularly with the mile, it’s mostly a head game. Sure you have to be in shape, but that’s just half of it. A lot of races are won and lost by mental toughness, and that’s my only real advantage. I’m not particularly talented, but I’ll outwork anyone. I try to walk away from every race knowing the guy behind me was faster than me.
WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST IN PRACTICE TO IMPROVE ON? I try to control my breathing. I have fairly bad asthma and some heart problems, so I have to make sure that doesn’t slow me down.
WHEN YOU’RE THROUGH RUNNING TRACK AT BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE? Just the closeness of the team.
